You Faked It, Right?
by Tri99erPu11er
Summary: Hadn't Beast Boy specifically told Nightwing to not fake anymore deaths?
1. Chapter 1

_So lately I've been getting the urges to write, and found my Young Justice worshipping returning… and well, I revisited some of the episodes and came up with this wonderful little story._

 _Idk if this has already been written about, but I couldn't resist a little BB and Nightwing interaction after the episodes 'Summit' and 'Endgame'._

 _But, ANYWAYS, onto the story!_

 _(R &R please since this is my first story!)_

XXX

You Faked It, Right?

It had been… What, maybe two or so weeks since everything Reach related had been removed from the Earth? It had been long and tiresome work, kind of weird being directed by Kaldur and Batgirl for many reasons, and not to mention way too distracting.

Garfield had never realised how distracting hard work could be. With hardly anytime to sit and think he'd really never had time to delve into thoughts of… _Wally_ , and if he was really gone. Now that he had that time though, and everyone else seemed to be too wrapped up in themselves or missions to really pay attention to him, the grief was thick and choking and so _so overwhelming_.

This wasn't the first loved one he had lost, and _he_ probably wouldn't be the last, but _he_ had just gotten Artemis back and probably could have had a life again and, heck, maybe _he_ would have visited the Cave more! It wasn't very often _he_ had shown up anymore but when he had, boy was it fun. Garfield had almost forgotten how awesome and sweet and fun _he_ could be.

He liked to pretend they had been close before _he_ really went into retirement. They had played so many pranks on Artemis and gotten Superboy so worked up and, and he just wished _he_ could show up one more time so they could make Megan laugh and flash that bright and over the top happy grin at their antics! And maybe Nightwing would still be on the team.

God did he miss _him_ so much!

It just wasn't fair. The Reach wasn't fair, the Light wasn't fair, _life_ wasn't fair.

Garfield was just about to suck up his tears and wipe away his snot, then wiggle his way out of the corner he had taken to hiding in when overcome with blinding grief for _him_ , when an idea struck him. It was probably stupid and ridiculous and so many other things, but it gave him hope and he wasn't ready to let go yet. Not ready at all.

So, with a brave face he finally did remove himself from the corner and head for the Zeta tubes. He wasn't 100% sure where he'd find Nightwing, but Bludhaven was a better place to start than nowhere.

XXX

Bludhaven, honestly, was probably worse than the news and everyone else made it out to be. The wind carried a chill to it that night that managed to even worm its way into Garfield's thick fur, sending shivers down his spine. The clouds above were a deep, angry grey and looked ready to unleash a downpour at any moment. And off in the distance thunder could barely be heard over the blare of police sirens.

Well, maybe he'd have luck finding Nightwing after all! Garfield hadn't heard if the black clad vigilante had decided to stay in Bludhaven for a while, or if he had ran off elsewhere, but he had a gut feeling the older man was still around.

With a sigh the little green boy took off in the form of a hawk, heading towards where he had last heard the sirens.

XXX

At last, he had made it to his destination, and it looked like he wasn't too late! Below him, just finishing handing over the thugs to the police, and getting ready to take off again was Nightwing. The dark haired man, even from Garfield's height, looked like he had seen better days and was about ready to fall asleep on his feet. Maybe coming here hadn't been such a good idea.

Any doubts he had though were thrown to the wind as Nightwing made to leave, grappling up to the top of a building almost directly below the circling green hawk in the sky. Instantly Garfield was diving downward, changing into his usual form as soon as he touched down.

The sudden appearance of Beast Boy had caught Nightwing off guard, if one look at his face was any indication, but after scrambling to collect his thoughts for a brief moment a mask of indifference slammed itself back into place on his tired, shadowed face.

"Beast Boy… I'm honestly surprised to see you here. How can I help you?" The older hero asked, trying to keep his voice even and not give away all the emotional turmoil he was actually in.

At first the little green boy was hesitant to respond, bright green gaze slowly tilting down to look at the rooftop below his feet. "Well, er, you see," he struggled to get out, gritting his teeth. Maybe if he just spit it all out, in one rush like _he_ used to do, this would be easier? "I came to see if you faked W-wally's death!"

There. It was out, it was asked, now he just needed the correct answer that yes, Nightwing had in fact faked another death in the same year even though Garfield had specifically told him not to. And also that no, he could not runoff and share this information with the rest of the team.

Clearly though, the poor little boy realised with a sinking heart, that wouldn't be Nightwing's answer.

It was like Garfield could feel the older man's emotions rolling off him, first anger, then overwhelming sadness, and finally a begrudging acceptance and understanding.

Suddenly, _when had he started crying?_ , he saw Nightwing's blurry form start approaching him. Warm, strong arms were then wrapping around him and a calming scent was swarming his sniffling nose.

The tight hug seemed to last for years before Nightwing finally started pulling back, Garfield's hands struggling to get a grip on the other's skin tight suit and keep him close.

"Gar. Hey, look at me, please." His voice was soft and it maybe sounded like he was holding back tears of his own but desperately trying to remain strong for the little one clinging to him like his life depended on it.

Slowly those usually vividly bright but now dull and watery green eyes rose to meet the white lenses of the other hero's mask. Once Nightwing was sure he had Garfield's attention he flashed him a small smile, though it was lacking its usual light and charm.

After allowing another moment to pass, gathering his thoughts, he slowly started rubbing circles on Garfield's shivering back. "Listen, I miss Wally too, and wish he could've just had to go on a deep undercover mission that required us faking his death but," the older hero took in a deep quivering breath before continuing. "That can't be the case with everyone."

Was this supposed to be Nightwing's lame, pathetic attempt at comforting Garfield? The shaking green form didn't know whether to be enraged or even more saddened!

"It sucks, and it hurts, and it feels like things will never get better, but it all fades eventually. I'm not gonna lie and tell you everything goes back to being normal, but it _does_ get easier to handle. Me, I'm not trying to handle this situation in the best way I can… But you're not like me, and you don't push everyone away." God, nothing like a visit from a little brother figure to make you realise how stupid and big of a hypocrite you really were.

A little sniffle could be heard just before a clap of thunder, the clutching fury hands on Nightwing's suit seeming to relax a bit. "What're you trying to say, Nightwing?" Garfield quietly wondered, watching a flash of lightning off in the distance.

"Don't push the Team away. Don't go off by yourself, don't try and put on a brave face. If it ever gets too hard for you to handle by yourself, promise me you'll talk to Megan or Connor, even Kaldur. And definitely don't be afraid to talk about Wally or remember him. Reminiscing actually helps with the healing process, believe it or not…" He explained, having slowly been removing himself from the clutches of Garfield the whole time. Slowly he stood up, trying another smile, and offered a hand to help his friend up.

Maybe Nightwing was better at advice than Garfield originally anticipated. Either way, as he accepted the offered hand and stood up, it felt like a tiny piece of the sucking, emotionless void in his heart had been filled.

"I promise I'll try and listen to your advice, Nightwing. And thanks, a lot." He offered the older hero, finally managing a somewhat decent smile after being all frowns and scowls and serious faces since that fateful day he felt sick thinking about.

A tired but not humor lacking chuckle left the older as he gave Garfield's shoulder a quick pat.

A bit reluctantly the younger turned to leave, giving a tiny wave goodbye over his shoulder. "I better get back before Megan has a heart attack and gets the whole mountain rallied to find me," he giggled, reverting back to his hawk form before taking to the sky.

"And also," Nightwing's voice carried to him loud and clear, "feel free to drop by anytime!"

Smiling as best he could with a beak for a mouth he gave a cry of agreement before finally taking off, leaving Nightwing to return to his nightly activities.

Maybe when he got back to the mountain, he could get some of his friends to hangout, or talk to someone… One thing Nightwing had been right about, without a doubt, was that talking definitely hadn't hurt him anymore then not.

XXX

 _So yeah… That's my first story, hope the ending wasn't too cheesy or either of the characters was too ooc._

 _And it also might be a little headcanon of mine now that Gar and Wally were really close when Megan took in Gar, because they're both fun loving spazzes, and if I remember correctly off the top of my head, Gar had a thing for souvenirs too ?_

 _Anyways, again please R &R, and this was a one-shot but if enough people want it, I might be willing to make it a two-shot!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Only one person really wanted this to become a two-shot, but the first part got such a good response why not have a second part? Besides that, I should probably work on writing from other characters' povs…_

XXX

I Wish

A soft groan escaped the beaten and bloody form of Nightwing as he basically drug himself in through his window and forced himself to at least wobble over to the couch and collapse there. One time he had made the mistake of passing out right inside his windowsill and boy had that not been fun.

Carefully he removed his mask and let it fall to the floor, vivid blue eyes instantly fluttering shut. Luckily for him he wasn't expecting company later that day, and like a good little crime fighter, had locked his door before leaving. So he could lay passed out on his couch for as long as he wanted, or at least until his stomach complained of hunger or his injuries started acting up.

He hadn't meant to stay out that long (the sun was just starting to come up!) or take such a beating but life never favored him, did it? First his parents, then all the stupid mishaps as Robin, next his falling out with Bruce, Jason, Tula, willingly sensing two of his closest friends into enormous danger to complete _the mission_ , and last but definitely not least, his most latest loss. _Wally._

 _Ha, what a joke his life was!_

The undercover mission had just ended, the Reach was being finished off, Wally had just gotten Artemis back for good… He just had to go and die, disintegrate, cease.

Dick wasn't stupid, never really had been, but God. Why did it have to be Wally? It was selfish of him to wish it had been Barry or Bart, or to sometimes wish that the world could just have ended (because with Wally gone wasn't his world really over?), but it was so easy to think that way. Long ago he had learned that wishing and hoping never got you anywhere though, so what was the point?

It had been easier at first for him to accept the fact Wally was gone, but as time went on and he isolated himself more, the absolute numbness had set in. Steadily and surely it had started at his toes and fingers, working its icy grip in towards his heart before completely taking over.

Sure, he had tried to fight it when he still had the energy. It had won out in the end though, and that left him where he was now. Not seeing the joy in life anymore, lacking a purpose even though he knew, deep in the back of his mind, he had plenty of others if he'd just let them back in. He knew what he was doing to himself, giving into the self-destruction, but it was so _goddamn_ _easy!_

The usual lowlifes he fought in Bludhaven had been landing more hits lately, and he'd deny he knew what others were talking about if they brought it up, but he knew what he was doing, just like he knew everything else. He was punishing himself for something he had absolutely no control over. At least he hadn't turned to anger, or something worse, like alcohol. Hehe, maybe that would be next on his self-destructive behavior list.

His breathing had just started to normal out to about even, or as close to even as possible with bruised ribs, when he felt a slight rush of air flow over him, disturbing some longer locks of black hair resting on his forehead. Quickly he forced himself to peel his eyes open, unmasked gaze landing on a hazy green, furry form. His brain struggled for a few moments to realize who it was before coming up with an answer.

As quickly as could be expected from someone in his current shape, Dick pushed himself up into a sitting position and flashed Beast Boy what he hoped looked more like a smile than a grimace.

"BB," he finally managed to grunt out in the form of a greeting.

With what could only be described as a disappointed and sympathetic look the younger hero started forward, hesitantly taking a seat on the ugly couch next to Dick. "Hey man." Beast Boy returned, flashing a little toothy smile that quickly disappeared.

Truthfully, Dick wasn't really sure what Beast Boy wanted with him. It had been about a month and a half since the younger had sought out the older, and they had had that painful conversation, but no contact had happened between the two since then. He was even surprised Beast Boy knew where to find him.

"So… Not to be rude or anything, but do you need something? Cause I was just about to head to bed for like the rest of the day." Dick wondered, a little nervous and sick at the idea they might end up talking about Wally again. The last few days had been rough enough for him, but having to talk about crap that pertained to Wally and grieving for him and stuff? No, thank you very much.

"Actually, yeah." Suddenly vivid green eyes met his vivis blue ones in a surprisingly stern look for it to be coming from Beast Boy, displeased scowl now settled on the changeling's face. "You really need to stop this wallowing in self-pity crap or whatever the hell you're doing, man. You've got the rest of the Team worried sick, definitely me as well, and I think even Batman might be a bit anxious. So I thought I could use some of your own advice on you. Wanna talk about it maybe, hug it out at the least?"

Hm, certainly hadn't been what Dick had been expecting at all. How the Team knew what kind of shape he was in was beyond him, but he had a sneaking suspicion he had the news to thank. And Batman? Hell, he probably had secret little cameras stashed all around his apartment. He'd never ever admit it out loud, but Bruce cared. Why he had to be a creepy stalked about it was beyond Dick.

"Uh, sorry about that?" He didn't sound 100% sure, but that was fine. Even though opening up was easy enough for him, he somehow always opted to go the hard road and keep his emotions and thoughts locked up tight, the key thrown away.

A skeptical look was tossed Dick's way, though Beast Boy did allow a silence to settle over the pair. Soon a pair of arms were wrapped around his torso, a fuzzy little head snuggled up right next to his shoulder. Without much thought Dick moved to return the huge, turning to wrap his own arms around Beast Boy and let his head settle against his bloodied and shredded uniform's chest.

"I just," a sharp hiccup cut through the air, Dick's bright blue eyes suddenly struggling to hold back the tears. So much for trying to remain the strong and stoic one. "I thought it'd be easier to grieve by myself for a short period, then move on. Turns out I was totally wrong. Every stupid little thing brings back memories, and the isolation… Ah, this is- Sorry, Gar." Instantly he was trying to stem the flow of words and pull back from the hug, but the younger hero somehow managed to keep Dick's larger form in place.

"You don't have to be alone anymore then, if its so bad. I'd be more than willing to be here for you, and so would everyone else if you'd just let 'em in… I hate seeing you like this. Not weak, but trying to be strong and pushing others away in the process, then hating on yourself more. If Wally were still here he'd kick your butt for behaving this way, man." A quiet chuckle came from Beast Boy at the thought, small grin accompanying it as he conjured up a mental image. "Yeah, he definitely would."

Finally ready to let go, Beast Boy pulled back from Dick and sat up once more, looking over the battered hero with a critical green gaze. He shook his head with a sigh. "I also bet you could get someone to patch you up a bit, definitely better than your home done job," he tried teasing.

Maybe Beast Boy was right, and it was time for Dick to give in to the urges to let people back in, accept offered help, try and heal in a healthy way.

Tough he wasn't quite ready to give in all the way, maybe he could at least give it a go and see how it went?

"You really think so?" Dick asked in a similar teasing manner, reaching up to poke a finger at a slightly less tender scrape. "It is pretty exhausting and way more hard to patch yourself up than one would think."

Happy smiles were shared and another quick hug before both rose, Dick bending to pick up his mask from the floor.

"Totally dude! Megan's taken up studying basic first aid, and I'm sure Black Canary would be overjoyed to see you again…" Beast Boy started in as they climbed out the window, Dick's hard earned nap long forgotten.

XXX

 _So, I'm not really 100% sure I like this chapter, cause it seems kinda choppy to me, and I wasn't really sure how to end it but… R &R?_


End file.
